Skip to content

LETTER: What you can do about racism, Squamish

I have seen so many white and people of colour out there looking for ways to help fight alongside us. It’s stressful here in Canada, feeling very helpless about what you can do.

I have seen so many white and people of colour out there looking for ways to help fight alongside us.

It’s stressful here in Canada, feeling very helpless about what you can do. Please don’t forget that we are absolutely fighting this for our brothers and sisters to the south but also for ourselves up here. I am privileged as a Black person in North America to not fear the cops, to know I can go about my daily life confident that I won’t be killed for simply existing. But racism is very much alive here in Canada and in our community.

 I’ve been fought, shouted at, spit at, bullied, and fetishized for the sole reason of my skin colour.

Having a white mom and a Black dad meant that my mom always had to explain to people why her daughter was Black. It meant she was going to have to work extra hard to make sure that I was given the same opportunities as my peers.

It meant that my dad had to sit me down and tell me from a young age “although you may be half Black and half white, the world will never see you for your whiteness. You are, and always will be a Black woman.” He had to teach me how to respond and defend myself against racist children in the schoolyard.

 Racism is not something you’re born with. It is learned behaviour and that means it can be unlearned. It is time for us all to finally take a stand together and make sure that racism is no longer normalized. It will take strength and courage. And it may be uncomfortable and make you feel stressed. But we as a minority cannot do this alone. We need your help! We have been uncomfortable for centuries. We have been carrying the weight of the institutionalized and systemic racism on our back and we are tired. These are a few ways you can get involved.

 Support Black-owned businesses.

Supporting Black-owned businesses is the easiest way to start. There are so many amazing Black-owned businesses in the Sea to Sky. You have the peace of mind knowing that every cent of your hard-earned money is going directly into the Black community and helping us, as we have a harder time getting funding and getting exposure.

 (I personally own a small luxury sunglass chain company here in Squamish. (www.saucestrap.com.)

On Instagram, @feedingmama has an ever-growing list of Vancouver based Black businesses that are categorized for easy usage.

Get educated and educate your children.

It is never too early to teach your children about racism because Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) children learn it from an extremely young age. Teach yourself about the European colonization of Africa, The trans- Atlantic Slave trade, the Apartheid, The 13th amendment and Jim Crow era, the colonization of North America, residential schools. Watch movies and read books. These are not taught in history class.

Combat racism in your personal life.

Call out racist family members. Call out racism on the bus, in the mall. If it doesn’t look right, say something.

Listen.

Listen to BIPOC when we share our experiences.

Donate to Bail Funds, Black Lives Matter groups, and justice reform funds.

Contact your local representatives and add your name to a petition.

There are millions of resources online to help you educate and join in. Let’s keep fighting this even after it stops trending because when the novelty wears off, if there hasn’t been change, then we are still in danger.

Jazzamyn Walker

Squamish

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks